The rise of social networking on the internet has seen an increasing interest in attempting to write haiku and other short form poetry in the language based on the Japanese poetic traditions. Facebook has seen the creation of many pages and groups to cater to this interest with creative efforts ranging from simple pictorial descriptions to poems that literally take the reader's breath away. The interactivity and encouragement there has the potential to nurture new talents and facilitate the recognition of the best haiku, haibun, tanka, etc. as an integral part of mainstream poetry in the English language. However, all too soon the posting of poems on these pages get lost in history, becoming virtually inaccessible over time. This site provides the space for all poets writing in the Japanese traditions to display their work for the benefit, the enjoyment and encouragement of all. Submissions to the site are recorded within a database that is searchable by keyword(s). All poems contained within this database remain the copyright of the writer and, as the submitted pieces are not edited by the owners of this site, they are not considered as published should the poet wish to submit them to an online or print journal. Current features of the site include real-time news feeds from other haiku related sites, links to well established sites, online magazines and resources, an event calendar for competitions and other events around the world, a database of links to informational and scholarly essays, and links to personal haiku related blogs. Other features will be added to the site as it develops in response to requested or perceived needs. Registration is required for any submissions to the site.

t'heart of haiku was created in 2010 by Svetlana Marisova and Ted van Zutphen as a place for them to collaborate and explore the mysteries of life through their unfolding love for each other and for the power of expressing their separate lives through the poetic form explored by and depthed by the great Japanese haiku poets.

With her infectiously youthful enthusiasm the late Marisova envisioned a time when short form poems crafted in the English language could become as potent a form of poetry as the hokku written by Basho, Buson, Chiyo-ni and Issa. With an almost irreverent zeal, and often at odds with the entrenched world of English language haiku, she pressed forward to enflesh that vision.

This site is now being offered by Ted van Zutphen and Svetlana Marisova's family and friends as a gift and a repository for all those who share their vision.